My husband and I are acquiring a newly constructed duplex in Chigwell and my lawyer is advising me that she has to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the seller. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I have no desire to prolong matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

We are planning to purchase with Coventry BS. I dropped in a couple of local practices yet cant to find a Chigwell conveyancing firm on the Coventry BS approved list. Could you assist?

You should make the most of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this web page. Pick the lender and type Chigwell or your location and you will be presented with numerous conveyancers located in Chigwell or near you.

My wife and I are downsizing from our property in Chigwell and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed an online conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Chigwell. We have lived in Chigwell for many years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that there is no issue.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)

I am buying a new build house in Chigwell with a mortgage from Alliance & Leicester . The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative advised me not reveal to my solicitor about the side-deal as it would jeopardize my mortgage with Alliance & Leicester . Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one close by in Chigwell I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Chigwell for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.